“Fear not, stand firm, and see the salvation of the LORD, which he will work for you today…The LORD will fight for you, and you have only to be silent.” —Exodus 14:13,14

Pharaoh has finally let the Israelites leave Egypt after the firstborn sons of that nation were put to death by the Angel of the Lord. Now that the waters of the Red Sea have parted for them to walk though, they see the chariots of Egypt pursuing them, intending to capture them to return them to slavery, or worse. The Israelites are terrified and God gives Moses this promise that He will fight on their behalf.

Passages like this raise the question of exactly how specific promises given in a particular Old Testament situation apply to us. Obviously, there are times when we must fight and not simply remain silent in order to see the salvation of the Lord. In biblical times, God gave specific instructions for specific situations. Here He asked Moses to be quiet; in contrast, later He will tell Joshua to march around Jericho and shout after the seventh time around.

However, the basic principle of the above verse applies to us as New Testament believers: God stands with us, ready to defend us if only we will acknowledge His presence and trust Him to do what we cannot. Was it not St. Francis who prayed, “God help me to change the things I can, to trust You to change the things I can’t, and the wisdom to know the difference!”

Let Us Pray

Father, let us be quiet in Your presence long enough to see You fight on our behalf. I pray for ____ that he/she might trust You to go before them, to work out situations and problems where there appear to be no good options. Help us to know when to act and when to wait, when to shout and when to stand still. Come to us and win victories in our personal lives, and in all our relationships. Help us to submit until we are willing to be patient, waiting for You to resolve difficulties that are beyond us.

I pray that ____ might not lash out and fight her/his battles out of fear, anger, or resentment but to take the time to submit to Your timing. May they believe that You care and will come to aid all those wait before You. “Wait patiently for the Lord.”